Resources

With so many resources, case studies, and documents available on electric vehicles, the Climate Mayors team has assembled some of the most relevant references that directly apply to municipal fleet electrification to help fleet managers, procurement staff, and sustainability/policy team members from the mayor’s office.

Charging 101

Plug-in electric vehicles can be charged using standard outlets (110V), which are called Level 1 charging. They can also be charged at Level 2 stations (240V), or at DC Fast Charge stations (480V). Level 1 charging will charge a vehicle completely in 8 to 17 hours, depending on the size of the battery in the vehicle. At a Level 2 station most vehicles will be fully charged in 4-10 hours. High energy consuming appliances, such as clothes dryers, use outlets with this voltage. Finally, in order to make charging while away from home quick and convenient, even faster charging stations are being installed in some locations: Level 3 (or DC Fast Charge) stations. DC Fast Chargers can charge a fully depleted Nissan LEAF to 80 percent capacity in 15 to 30 minutes.

Current State of the EV Market

Q2 2018 returned the strongest sales on record for electric vehicles (EV) with 65,585units sold in the U.S. Nearly 20,000 EVs were sold since last year, an increase of approximately 41 percent year-over-year (y/y). Quarter-over-quarter (q/q) sales grew 22 percent with the top-selling Toyota Prius Plug-In, Chevy Volt, Honda Clarity, and Tesla Models 3, S and X representing over 68 percent of sales. Within the battery electric vehicle (BEV) segment, the Nissan Leaf has experienced renewed popularity, with sales increasing by more than 30 percent y/y. The Leaf is now the third most popular BEV with the 2018 model boasting a 151-mile range at an MSRP of $30,000 before federal and state incentives. There are now nearly 50 advanced fuel vehicle models in the U.S. market, including 29 plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) models, 16 BEV models, and three fuel-cell vehicle models. In the past seven years, automakers have sold more than 849,000 EVs. In June, EVs accounted for roughly 1.3 percent of new light-duty vehicle sales on an annualized basis.